Japanese Onomatopoeia: どきどき, ぴかぴか and ふわふわ
Japanese uses hundreds of sound and feeling words. Learn how they work, the most common ones, and why they are everywhere in manga and daily speech.
Japanese has an unusually rich set of onomatopoeic words: not just for sounds, but for textures, movements and feelings. They give the language much of its vividness.
Two kinds
- 擬音語 (ぎおんご, giongo) — words for sounds, such as ワンワン (woof-woof)
- 擬態語 (ぎたいご, gitaigo) — words for states, feelings or appearances, such as ふわふわ (fluffy)
Together they are often called オノマトペ (onomatope).
Sounds
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ワンワン (wanwan) | a dog barking |
| ニャーニャー (nyānyā) | a cat mewing |
| ザーザー (zāzā) | heavy rain |
| ゴロゴロ (gorogoro) | thunder rumbling, or lazing around |
| パチパチ (pachipachi) | clapping, crackling |
States and feelings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| どきどき (dokidoki) | heart pounding (nervous or excited) |
| わくわく (wakuwaku) | excited anticipation |
| ぴかぴか (pikapika) | shiny, sparkling clean |
| ふわふわ (fuwafuwa) | soft and fluffy |
| さらさら (sarasara) | smooth and dry, silky |
| ぺらぺら (perapera) | fluent (of a language) |
| にこにこ (nikoniko) | smiling |
| ぐっすり (gussuri) | sleeping soundly |
How they work
Most are formed by repeating a syllable, which gives a sense of continuing sound or state. Some are used with と or する:
- ドキドキする。 — My heart pounds.
- 日本語がぺらぺらです。 — (He/she) is fluent in Japanese.
In manga and daily life
Manga makes heavy use of these words as sound effects written in the picture. In conversation, they make speech livelier and more natural, especially when describing food textures, weather and feelings.
Food textures
- サクサク (sakusaku) — crispy
- もちもち (mochimochi) — chewy, springy
- とろとろ (torotoro) — creamy, melting
- ふわふわ — fluffy
Learning them
- Start with a few (どきどき, わくわく, ふわふわ).
- Learn them with example sentences.
- Read manga to hear them in context.
- Use the dictionary to check meanings.
English Japanese Dictionary
Offline English–Japanese dictionary with kanji, hiragana and katakana support
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